The Only One Left (TITLE YET TO BE CONFIRMED)
by Repegunaga
Summary: *FULL SUMMARY INSIDE* He was the last of his kind, and was given eternal life as a means of preservation. He didn't want it, however. He didn't want to live for an eternity, stuck in a world with the endless cycle of Regeneration and the discrimination of half-elves; he would rather die. Living on while everyone he cared for was long gone...


**A/N: Hey guys. I am so sorry I haven't been updating lately. I've just been so busy with many things, both school-related and emotional. But I can assure you that I plan on updating more frequently. Though I probably chose a bad time to start writing again, what with finals going on for me this week. But I will do my best to devote any free time I have to writing this story! That much, I can assure you.**

**Full Summary: **

**He was the last of his kind, and was given eternal life as a means of preservation. He didn't want it, however. He didn't want to live for an eternity, stuck in a world with the endless cycle of Regeneration and the discrimination of half-elves; he would rather die. Living on while everyone he cared for was long gone...He just couldn't take it anymore! There must be a way to end it!**

**On the Day of Prophecy, he finally had his chance. He must accomplish the task given to him, and in return, Cruxis will end his curse. But will Cruxis really do this for him? They've had a rivalry going on for the past few milennias, after all; why would they suddenly offer him freedom from something that has chained him to this world?**

**But the temptation was just too much for him. The mere thought of finally being able to die had made him forget his hatred for the organization. After all, he may as well do what his conscience had told him this whole time, right?**

**Chapter 1: The Death Cycle**

"Alright everyone, settle down." Raine said, bringing the class back to order. "Now, who can tell me how the Ancient War had ended?" I felt myself groan internally as we discussed, yet again, The Ancient War, a topic this class had discussed far too many times this past month. "Anyone?" She waited for someone to volunteer, but when no one had, she sighed and picked a student to answer her question. "Lloyd, how about you?" After a few minutes of absolute silence, and no response from the spiky-haired swordsman, the teacher sighed.

"Lloyd Irving, wake up!" she commanded. The whole class turned their heads to the back of the classroom, where Lloyd was supposed to be standing, holding two full buckets of water as punishment for falling asleep during class. Yet there he was, SLEEPING, with the buckets suspended in the air, hovering a few feet from the floor. How he managed to do this, no one knew, but it had amazed us all. All except Raine, who seemed more disappointed than impressed. "Lloyd!" she shouted again. Much to her disappointment, Lloyd was still fast asleep, snoring softly and dribbling a bit of drool onto his red jacket.

Raine sighed angrily, and with a small battle cry, she grabbed a chalkboard eraser and threw it towards Lloyd with all her strength. The eraser had hit his face and the boy jerked awake. The whole classroom—excluding myself—had burst into laughter. Lloyd, embarrassed, blushed deeply, wiping the drool from his mouth. "How do you manage to sleep standing?" Raine had asked in her disappointed voice, pacing back and forth in front of him.

"S-Sorry." Lloyd said. "Eh, is class over?" The class was filled with giggles again, but one sigh from the silverette was a sign that this was no laughing matter. "Never mind. Let's have someone else answer the question. Anthony?" I felt everyone's eyes on me, glaring. I rolled my eyes and stood up. "The hero, Mithos, had formed a pact with the Goddess Martel, to seal away the Desians, who had caused the war." Raine nodded. "Correct." I took my seat, but of course, it wasn't there, and I had fallen to the floor. The majority of the class was filled with snickers. The idiot behind me had moved my chair out of the way while I wasn't paying attention, again.

_"You think you'd know by now, idiot."_ My conscious remarked. I rolled my eyes. "Shut up…" I muttered quietly, so no one could hear me.

"Quiet everyone!" Raine scolded, bringing the room back to silence. "Michael! That was very immature of you and was totally uncalled for. Now, apologize to Anthony!"

The boy behind me, who had been snickering this whole time, was now silent, a slight smirk spread across his face. With a saccharin tone, he apologized. "Sorry about that."

"Whatever…" I muttered bitterly. "Can I have my chair back?" I pointed to my chair, which had been flipped to its side so it could be stored under the imbecile's desk.

"Oh, sure!" he exclaimed sweetly, flipping my chair back to its proper position and gingerly pushing it back into place. I finally took my seat._ 'You didn't have to be such a smart ass about it...'_ I thought bitterly.

I hate this place. Every day is just the same, old, boring routine. The days were always placid, but I wish I could say the same for the villagers. They would always torment me, both adults and children. Why? Because I was a half-elf; the supposed disgrace of both humans and elves.

Of course, no human could've figured this out. Only elves and other half-elves can tell a full elf from another, since they are one of the few species that can read the mana signatures of others. I felt myself glaring at Raine's younger sibling, Genis, who was sitting at his desk, listening intently to Raine's lecture.

What the fuck is wrong with this kid! Why did he tell everyone I was a fucking half-elf! It's not like I was giving him any problems since I came here a few months ago. He had no reason to go around the whole village, telling everyone he came across that I was a half-elf. By the end of that day, everyone in the whole village had known the very thing that would've been SO easy to hide. But NO! Genis HAD to tell everyone! What the fuck! I wasn't even DOING anything to him! It just pisses me off so much! Sometimes I just want to take an arrow and shove it right up his a-

_"Now, now. Don't lose your temper."_ My conscience sneered. Of course, he was right; my hands were practically shaking by now. But I was too angry to care. "You know what? Just shut the fuck up!" I shouted.

"Anthony!" I jumped a bit, realizing I had said that aloud. Raine was in front of me, her arms crossed. "There's no need for that. Please come see me after class today. Now Colette, please continue your explanation on the Journey of Regeneration."

"Erm…OK." The blond Chosen, who had been in the middle of her explanation before my little 'outburst', continued to speak. "As I was saying, upon passing the trials of Goddess Martel, the Summon Spirits that protect the world awaken, and mana is restored."

I sighed softly. _'Today's the Day of Prophecy. How could I forget?'_

Raine nodded. "Thank you, Colette. That'll be all." Colette took her seat and turned her head towards me, giving me a soft smile. I simply rolled my eyes. Sure, Colette was very sweet and pure, but that doesn't mean she has to show me any kindness; besides, Genis and Lloyd wouldn't let her, anyways.

Raine began speaking again. "The Chosen's journey has two purposes-To revive mana, as well as seal the Desians. Now, onto the next question. Wh-" Raine wasn't able to finish her sentence, because all of a sudden, a bright light had flashed inside of the classroom. Everyone turned their heads towards the window to see a radiant pillar of light shining upon the temple.

"Th-That's…!" Colette began, but was too mesmerized by the bright light to speak. The whole class was in a frenzy of chatter, but most of the conversations were full of gibberish.

"Please, settle down, everyone." Raine said calmly, bringing everyone back into a silence. Except this time, the air was charged with a combination of excitement, fear, and anxiety. "It seems like the time for the Oracle has come. I'm going to the chapel to see if the preparations are complete. Stay here and study on your own. Understood?"

The whole class nodded, except for Colette. "Wait, Professor! I'll go with you!" The silverette shook her head. "No, Colette. You stay here with everyone else. The priests will come for you once preparations are complete." And with that, the teacher left. Soon enough, the classroom had burst with chatter once again. Only this time, their conversations were sensible.

"Did you see how bright the light was?"

"That was awesome!"

"Finally! The Journey of Regeneration can start!"

"Do you think an angel will be there?"

I groaned quietly and laid my head on my desk._ 'The Death Cycle is upon us once again…Hooray…'_ I thought bitterly. All these conversations are full of glee and excitement, but they don't see this day the way I see it; the beginning of an endless cycle of death. Oh, how I hated these times. When the Desians would come back after being 'sealed' for so long. When those idiots would take humans and perform horrible and inhumane experiments on them. When they would build their elaborate human ranches, which consume large amounts of mana, deriving the world of its natural beauty. It's because of the Desians that this world is in such disarray. They're the reason why half-elves are so hated by humans. And why? Because of fucking Mi-

"But Lloyd! Raine will get mad at us! She told us to stay here and study!" I jumped slightly, the whiny voice of Genis Sage derailing me from my train of thought.

"But this counts as studying!" Lloyd retaliated.

"Stop making excuses!" Genis shouted, infuriated by the swordsman's excuses.

Lloyd simply shrugged. "So? Stop being so stuffy. You're coming too, right? We're best friends, after all!" He ruffled the young boy's hair, which in turn caused a look of annoyance to sprout onto his face.

I sighed as I heard them summon Colette to them, asking her if she wants to come with them. Such idiots they are…They act as though the Journey of Regeneration is a burdenless task. It isn't…And Colette doesn't need to be reminded of this. If only she could tell them to have no part in this; that they are better off not worrying about her at all. But alas, she can't, because she is too pure to do so. That, and because her clumsiness makes her a walking disaster, making it difficult to not worry about her.

"Um…Hello." I lifted my head slightly to see Colette hovering over me, smiling at me. Genis and Lloyd were waiting by the exit, a sour look on the younger one's face. I rolled my eyes. "Hey Colette." I muttered. The whole classroom was in silence, listening to our conversation.

"So…I was wondering…" she began. "Would you like to come with us to the temple?" My eyes widened, and the whole classroom gasped. The Chosen One was asking me, of all people, to accompany her to the Oracle. "Wh-What…?" I stuttered, stupefied.

"Would you…Would you like to come with us? To see the Oracle up close?" she asked sweetly. Genis' sour look dissipated into a much darker look. Lloyd, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind Colette asking. He was one of the few people who didn't torment me for my race, along with Raine, Colette, her relatives, and a few of the village children.

I regained my composure. "Why would you want me to go with you. Hadn't Genis already told you what I am?" Copette responded with a nod, resulting in me sighing. "Then why would you want me to go with you? The whole village hates me."

_"And for good reason, too."_ My conscience said, it's voice full of spite._ "Just go kill yourself!"_

_'You know very well I can't!'_ I mentally shouted at it.

_"So? That didn't stop you before, and it shouldn't stop you know, you coward!"_

_'I'm not a coward! Don't call me that!'_

_"Yes you are coward! Go kill yourself!"_

"So…Will you come with us?" Colette asked again. I jumped slightly, realizing that she had been talking to me this whole time. "You…really want me to come with you?" I asked cautiously. Colette nodded her head. "Of course! It's always nice to have more friends!"

"How can you already consider me a friend?" I asked, a bit shaken by her comment. This was the first person in such a long time who actually considered me a friend. Of course, this was Colette, who could never be mean to others, no matter who they are. But either way, she was still the first person to do such a thing.

"Because!" she exclaimed. "You're a very nice person! Who wouldn't want to be your friend?" I rolled my eyes. "Whatever you say…" I muttered.

"So will you come with us?" she repeated. There was a long silence in the room. The air was tense, and the whole class was awaiting my answer.

"Sure…" I finally said. Some people groaned a bit, and Genis' expression made it look like I had just demolished the whole village. "Great!" Colette exclaimed happily. "Let's go!" I slowly got out of my desk, watching Colette happily skip ahead of me. Taking my bag, I walked towards the trio. "Are we ready?" I asked.

Lloyd nodded, and Genis grumbled, "Yes…" Colette nodded. "Let's go~!" We exited the classroom, and I grabbed my bow and quiver from the hall ("No weapons in the classroom." was Raine's number one rule, and the punishment was severe to those who break it). Lloyd grabbed his twin blades, Colette her chakrams, and Genis his kendama. Once we all had our weapons stored securely to us, we left the schoolhouse.

The village was strangely quiet; usually, the village is lively, so for it to be so desolate is very strange. "I wonder where everyone is…" Lloyd wondered aloud.

Genis shrugged. "I dunno."

"Colette!" We all turned our heads to the direction of the voice, seeing Colette's father, Frank. "Father!" Colette said. Frank went up to his daughter and embraced her. "Thank goodness you're safe…"

"What happened to everyone?" Lloyd asked. "It's awfully quiet."

"They're hiding…" Frank answered gravely. "The Desians had invaded the village. Thankfully, no one was hurt…"

"But Iselia has a non-aggression treaty with the Desians!" Genis exclaimed. "Why would they attack?"

"Yeah, this makes no sense." Lloyd agreed. Genis turned to me and glared. "It was you, wasn't it?!" Genis yelled.

I stared at him in disbelief. "What are you talking about!" I said angrily.

"You called over your Desian friends to come and kill Colette!" he accused, pointing dramatically in my direction. "I knew you couldn't be trusted!"

I was furious. This kid was making a serious accusation, purely based on racism. What the fuck! Why?! What did I do to him to make him hate me so?! It was so frustrating! "Okay, first of all," I began. "I have no means of communication with the Desians. What do you think I did. Speak with them telepathically? That's so ridiculous! And second of all, I have no friends of any kind!" My temper began to rise. "And WHY, would I want to be friends with people as cruel as the DESIANS! What kind of person do you think I am!"

"Tony, calm down." Lloyd said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "You're losing it." I cringed slightly, not just because of his touch, but because of what he called me. Tony. I hated when people called me that, but everyone insists on calling me that, so I have to deal with it. As for calming down, I tried my best to, but it was hard with Genis glaring at me conspicuously, accusation in his eyes.

"Where are the Desians headed?" Lloyd asked.

"they were headed in the direction of the temple…" Frank answered sadly.

"But…But isn't that where Grandmother is…?" Colette asked nervously, earning a grim nod from Frank. Her panic-filled eyes widened. "Oh my goodness! We have to help her!' she exclaimed worriedly.

"Don't worry…" Frank said. "The priests are there with her. She'll be fine…" But there was a hint of doubt in his voice. "Now Colette…"

"I know…" she said, as if reading his thoughts. "I promise to fulfill my duty as the Chosen."

"The best of luck to you, my daughter…" he said, embracing her once more. "Lloyd. Genis. Tony. If you are going to accompany Colette, please, protect her." We all nodded, and with that, Frank departed, as did we.

Before we did, however, I pulled Genis to the side. "What's your deal? What did I ever did to you?"

Genis shook his head. "I see no reason in having to tell you."

"Oh really?" I said, smirking. "I could always tell the whole village you're a half-elf too."

"Who would believe you?" he questioned. "No one would believe the lies of a half-elf."

"Remember when I had 'accidentally' cut you with an arrow a few weeks ago?" I asked. The younger boy nodded. I went to his ear and whispered, "I still have the blood." Genis' body completely tensed. I pulled out a vial from my bag, which held a dark red liquid. "That's right. I have a blood sample. Who should I give it to first? The Mayor? Colette? Lloyd?" Genis was silent. "So, will you tell me why you told everyone I was a half-elf?"

Genis remained silent, not saying a word to me. I sighed. "Fine. Don't tell me. I won't tell anyone your little secret, though. I won't stoop to your level. Raine was the few people who was decent to me, and I don't want to ruin _her_ life. You however, I could care less."

"Hey, you guys!' Lloyd said, his enthusiasm reaching its peak. "Keep up, will ya!"

"Coming!' I called back. I walked ahead of Genis, who lingered in his place for a few moments before running up to his friends, conversing with them as if nothing had happened. I trailed behind them and we began our journey to the Martel Temple.


End file.
